Married in a Daze - Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Qin Zhenzhen didn't know what Lu Ruyun and He Shuangshuang had talked about. She only knew that when the two of them walked back from the corridor, they looked completely lost, their eyes hollow, devoid of their usual vigor.

It didn't seem like anger. When Lu Ruyun was angry, she was usually a ball of fiery rage, full of energy. This reversal of her usual demeanor now seemed more like—profound disappointment.

As if she had lost something precious.

Although Qin Zhenzhen didn't know the specifics of their conversation, she could mostly guess it was related to Zhang Yiyao.

Earlier, she could tell Lu Ruyun had deliberately sent He Shuangshuang away. Qin Zhenzhen could have easily stayed to listen to what they were saying, but she hadn't.

Giving Lu Ruyun time to handle things wasn't just about trusting her; it was also about respecting her.

Seeing the two approach, Qin Zhenzhen raised a smile. "Are we still going in?"

Lu Ruyun took her hand and looked at Duan Qiuhan behind her, pursing her lips. "We're not going in."

"Qiuhan, take care."

Duan Qiuhan seemed confused for a few seconds upon hearing her words, not quite clear on what had happened. Fortunately, He Shuangshuang hadn't left yet; he could ask her later.

After Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun left hand in hand and got into the car, neither brought up the hospital incident. Qin Zhenzhen fiddled with her phone and said, "What should we do later?"

Lu Ruyun thought for a moment. "What do you want to do?"

Qin Zhenzhen chuckled softly. "Back in school, every Valentine's Day, I'd see couples everywhere, going on movie dates. I used to think then, that when I had someone I liked, I'd definitely want to do that too."

Lu Ruyun slowed the car down a bit. "So, should we go see a movie now?"

Qin Zhenzhen tapped her arm. "Are we going to watch a movie, or are we going to be the movie people watch? I don't want to get scolded by Sister Meng again."

As she spoke, she hunched her shoulders, adopting a pitiful expression. Lu Ruyun glanced at her. "Then we'll watch one at home."

After returning home, Lu Ruyun started selecting a movie. To enhance the atmosphere, Qin Zhenzhen drew all the curtains in the apartment. Fortunately, the sunlight wasn't too intense, so the living room darkened considerably.

"Should we order something to eat?"

Qin Zhenzhen asked, looking at the bare coffee table. Since neither of them had considered staying home for the New Year, they hadn't prepared anything in the apartment. Lu Ruyun glanced and nodded. "Should I make something?"

"No need."

Now thoroughly enjoying the convenience of takeout, Qin Zhenzhen waved a hand. "I'll order."

Lu Ruyun let her tap away on her phone. Half an hour later, a delivery arrived. Qin Zhenzhen bounced over and returned carrying a large bag of snacks. Looking at the food and then at Lu Ruyun, she said, "Good thing the next film requires weight gain. Otherwise, Sister Meng wouldn't know how to scold me."

As she spoke, she sneezed, rubbing her nose. Lu Ruyun took the food from her hands—all high-calorie items—and placed it on the coffee table. "The next project is decided?"

Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Decided. It's one of the two you picked for me."

Since the previous movie 'blacklist' had turned out to be nothing but a farce, Qin Zhenzhen had continued to receive numerous offers after finishing Mountain Girl. Coupled with her rising market value, naturally, many more sought her for films than before.

Qin Zhenzhen had selected a few promising ones and brought them back for Lu Ruyun's reference. Lu Ruyun had narrowed it down to two genres.

One was about food culture, the other about corporate espionage.

Actually, Lu Ruyun favored the latter, the corporate espionage film. It was a commercial movie, but different from Time in Full Bloom. Time in Full Bloom's plot was simple; as a comedy, it wasn't quite funny enough, and as a regular drama, it felt somewhat nonsensical.

This one was completely different. Just from the script, it was clearly a classic comedy. Although it was about corporate spies, it was blended with many hilarious, laugh-out-loud segments. Moreover, it was directed by a renowned comedy director—box office failure seemed impossible.

Lu Ruyun had chosen this film for two reasons.

One, Qin Zhenzhen had just finished Mountain Girl, a literary film. Plus, it would be released around the same time as Director Zheng Shaoyuan's movie, so its box office performance was still an unknown.

Of course, there was another reason.

The previous film, Time in Full Bloom, was also a workplace drama.

She wanted to use this new movie to reshape the netizens' impression of Qin Zhenzhen from Time in Full Bloom, killing two birds with one stone. She just wasn't sure what Qin Zhenzhen herself thought.

Lu Ruyun turned her head to ask Qin Zhenzhen, who was poking her milk tea. "Of course, I'd choose the spy one."

"Teacher Lu, even if you didn't say it, I know what you were thinking."

Lu Ruyun looked up at her words. "Then tell me what I'm thinking right now."

Qin Zhenzhen met her bright eyes, blinking. "Thinking about which movie to watch."

Lu Ruyun nodded. "You choose."

She had already picked several, but Qin Zhenzhen either said she'd seen them or didn't like them. It was a mystery how she found time to watch movies when she was usually too busy to sleep.

In the end, Lu Ruyun simply handed her the remote, letting her choose.

Qin Zhenzhen browsed and flipped through the options, finally pointing at the screen. "Let's watch this one."

Lu Ruyun saw the two large characters on the screen.

Reunion.

This classic old film—she had naturally seen it. But it had been so long ago, she only remembered some iconic scenes. Recalling the last time she had kissed Qin Zhenzhen during the variety show recording, Lu Ruyun pursed her lips and lowered her gaze.

The movie opened with a scene of the two protagonists meeting in a hospital. Once mutually infatuated, one became a doctor, the other a patient. Part of the controversy surrounding this film back then was because it carried allegorical undertones.

At that time, same-sex relationships were becoming more visible, but many still clung to old-fashioned ideas, viewing it as a kind of illness.

So in the film, one female protagonist played the patient, the other the doctor, implying the doctor not only cured her illness but, in the end, also 'cured' her love.

The film's release timing was also serendipitous—it came out the same year same-sex marriage was legalized, propelling it to become a classic of queer cinema.

Qin Zhenzhen only remembered watching this film when she was very young, completely unable to grasp the protagonists' all-consuming affection, that fluttery, naive palpitation of youth, the abrupt swings between immense sorrow and joy. She admitted she hadn't found it particularly compelling back then. But after being with Lu Ruyun, she felt the urge to watch it again.

She couldn't quite explain why. She just felt that perhaps what she hadn't understood back then, she could understand now.

Not long after the movie started, Qin Zhenzhen hugged her snacks and milk tea, munching and sipping. After about ten minutes, she grew tired and simply pulled Lu Ruyun's arm, nestling into her embrace. Lu Ruyun was sitting, and Qin Zhenzhen lay with her head on Lu Ruyun's lap, using a cushion for support.

Extremely comfortable.

Qin Zhenzhen contentedly watched the movie before her, then looked up at Lu Ruyun. "Teacher Lu, did you ever have a crush on anyone in school?"

Hearing her question, Lu Ruyun looked down, fingers smoothing Qin Zhenzhen's hair, and shook her head. "No."

Back then, her heart was tightly locked, unwilling to engage much with others, let alone notice anyone in that way.

Qin Zhenzhen nodded. On screen, the female protagonist was writing a love letter, wanting to send it but not daring to, afraid of regret if she didn't. In the end, she gritted her teeth and sent it, but through a series of mishaps, it never reached the intended person.

Thinking about how a single love letter led to them only reuniting many years later, Qin Zhenzhen felt a pang of melancholy.

Sometimes, feelings are truly fragile.

A single sentence, a text message, a love letter—any could be a reason to part.

At this thought, she tightly grasped Lu Ruyun's hand and sighed. "Ruyun, don't you think the connections between people are so strange and wonderful?"

Lu Ruyun looked down. "Hmm?"

Qin Zhenzhen looked up. "Think about it. If you hadn't been hospitalized back then, if Zhu Yao hadn't exposed our marriage of convenience, maybe we'd still be misunderstanding each other right now. Maybe we'd just be passing figures in each other's lives."

"Two years later, we'd go our separate ways."

Lu Ruyun pondered her words for a few seconds, her fingers stroking Qin Zhenzhen's soft cheek.

"Even though there's no such 'if,' I believe that without everything that happened back then, we would still have found a way to be together."

"Zhenzhen, people who are meant to be together will find each other, no matter how far apart they are."

Qin Zhenzhen looked up, seeing Lu Ruyun speak such affectionate words for the first time. She pressed her lips together, smiling. "Teacher Lu, you're being so sentimental, I really want to kiss you."

As she spoke, she tugged on Lu Ruyun's collar, pulling her head down abruptly. Wrapping her arms around Lu Ruyun's neck, she pressed her red lips forward.

Lu Ruyun, caught off guard, was pulled down. In the blink of an eye, their faces were almost touching. Qin Zhenzhen's long eyelashes brushed against her cheek, sending a ticklish sensation straight to her heart. Her palm, supporting Qin Zhenzhen's head, grew damp with sweat. She couldn't help but lower her voice. "Zhenzhen."

Qin Zhenzhen hummed in response, then took the initiative, pecking her lips lightly like a little bird. Her lips carried the sweet scent of milk tea. She blinked mischievously. In her bright eyes, Lu Ruyun saw her own reflection—dark pupils, deep gaze.

She captured the approaching red lips, lowering her body, pressing down further. Her hand held Qin Zhenzhen's head firmly. Their breathing gradually grew heavier, quicker. Qin Zhenzhen's hands slid down from Lu Ruyun's neck to cradle her beautiful face, the touch scaldingly hot.

On the TV screen, the classic scene was also playing: the two protagonists standing together in the rain, embracing and kissing without restraint.

The sounds from the television further stirred their passion. Lu Ruyun held Qin Zhenzhen's head, guiding her to sit up slowly on her lap. Lu Ruyun's back pressed against the sofa. Qin Zhenzhen straddled her legs, and because of this position, she was now a head taller than Lu Ruyun. With both hands cupping Lu Ruyun's face, she kissed her fiercely.

The intimate atmosphere in the living room grew increasingly heavy, the sounds softer, more delicate. Lu Ruyun kept one hand on her waist to prevent her from falling, while the other roamed over her body. Qin Zhenzhen was wearing a skirt today, and in this straddling position... Under such circumstances, Lu Ruyun couldn't help but seek more. When her fingers touched Qin Zhenzhen's sensitive spot, Qin Zhenzhen's tense body went limp, collapsing completely against her.

In the living room, only soft, delicate moans remained, sweet and honeyed.

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